Wild Pig Control
In QLD, feral pigs are declared Class 2 animals under the Land Protection Act and their control is the
responsibility of every landholder. Feral pigs are difficult to control because they are intelligent, adaptable and secretive.
They are nocturnal and hide up during the day in dense vegetation. When we first took over the property wild pigs were abundant but
our experience has been that lantana removal has significantly reduced the wild pig problem by limiting the areas available for them
to shelter from the sun and from predators. Because pigs have very few sweat glands they need adequate water suupplies for drinking
and staying cool. The current drought has severely reduced the number of pigs by limiting the number of water holes available
to them. Pigs on our property are now limited to relatively inaccessible areas in densely vegetated creek gullies.
Our pig
control strategy is based around trapping. We are not in favor of using poison baits for pigs. Whilst the concentration of 1080 poison
used for baiting wild dogs is such that it does not poison wildlife, the concentration required for wild pigs has the ability to poison
non-target animals and birds.
Pig Traps
There are a number of good designs for pig traps. We make them from concrete reinforcement mesh. There are just about
as many trigger designs as there are traps.
Bait
Pigs will eat almost anything. They are particularly fond of rotting carcases and fermented grain. Spoiled fruit and vegetables
work well if pigs are very active but if they dont visit the trap for a few days then possums and other small animals will eat the
bait.